Miss Jamaica Gabrielle Henry Exits Miss Universe Pageant on Stretcher After Falling Off Stage
Miss Mexico is celebrating the win of a lifetime.
Fátima Bosch Fernández was crowned Miss Universe on Nov. 21 and although her road to the crown was difficult—as she was publicly berated by a pageant executive before the official ceremony—the 25-year-old isn’t letting any of that dim her excitement.
“Today I confirmed that the destiny God has for you,” she wrote on Instagram Nov. 21, translated from Spanish, “neither envy nor destiny can stop it, nor can luck change it.”
Fátima also shared a slew of photos from the event, which saw her surrounded by her fellow Miss Universe competitors as they cheered on her win.
Two weeks before earning the coveted tiara, Fátima was publicly chastised by pageant executive Nawat Itsaragrisi during a pre-sash ceremony where he called her “dumb” for not following through with an obligation of the competition and had security oust her from the event. As Fátima was escorted out, her fellow contestants staged a walkout in solidarity.
Following the incident, Fátima shared that she wasn’t going to let it stop her from standing up for herself.
“I just want to let my country know, I’m not afraid to make my voice heard,” she said in an interview, translated from Spanish and shared on Instagram Nov. 4. “It’s here stronger than ever. I have a purpose. I have things to say.”
Mohan Raj/Getty Images
She added, “I’m not a doll to be made up, styled and have my clothes changed. I came here to be a voice for all the women and all the girls who fight for causes and to tell my country that I’m completely committed to that.”
And her home country of Mexico is especially proud of Fátima’s win, with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum highlighting how she handled herself in the face of adversity.
“It seems to me that it is an example of how women should raise our voices,” the president told reporters, per NBC News. “We women look more beautiful when we raise our voice and participate, because that has to do with the recognition of our rights.”
Mohan Raj/Getty Images
But Fátima wasn’t the only one dealing with controversy during this year’s Miss Universe pageant. Additionally, two of the pageant’s judges resigned, with one accusing organizers of rigging the competition and another threatening a lawsuit against them, per NBC News.
Still, Fátima and her fellow winners—first runner-up Miss Thailand Praveener Singh, 29, and second runner-up Miss Venezuela Stephany Adriana Abasali Nasser, 25—aren’t letting any of it stop them from enjoying their accomplishments.
“I carried this dream in my heart for years,” the official Miss Universe Instagram wrote on Nov. 21 alongside a video of Fátima’s win, “and today, I’m living it.”
(E! News and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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